Yuri Bykov‘s 2014 Russian-language film “The Fool” has been acquired by MGM’s Orion Television to be adapted into an English-language series.
The film follows Dima Nikitin (Artyom Bystrov), an ordinary honest plumber who suddenly decides to face the corrupt system of local politics in order to save the lives of 800 inhabitants of an old dormitory, which is about to collapse.
“The Fool” had a stellar festival run and won multiple awards at the Locarno International Film Festival and Les Arcs European Film Festival, besides many other accolades worldwide and at home in Russia. It was produced by Rock Films, Alexey Uchitel and Kira Saksaganskaya.
Bykov’s 2013 Cannes title “The Major,” also produced by Rock Films, was previously adapted by Netflix into the Emmy winning series “Seven Seconds,” winning Regina King the Primetime Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie and a Golden Globe nomination in the same category.
“The Fool,” currently titled “Collapse” for its U.S. adaptation, is executive produced by the team behind “Seven Seconds,” led by Alex Reznik and his long-time partners Lawrence Bender “(“The Harder They Fall”) and Kevin Brown (“Trumbo”). Vyacheslav Murugov and Vlad Ryashin are producers on the project.
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Kira Saksaganskaya said: “We’re really excited to cooperate with our U.S. partners and it’s extremely nice that the films, produced by Rock Films, go global.”
Film director and producer Alexey Uchitel founded Rock Films in 1991. The studio’s films include Karlovy Vary title “Captive” by Uchitel and Venice and Pingyao title “The Whaler Boy” by Philipp Yuryev.
